Glossary
A
Air-covered
A particular process whereby Lycra®* is covered with a continuous filament yarn (Velvet*).
Ajouré
Perforated pattern (openwork) created by structuring stitches.
Alternating
During the manufacture of tights, Lycra® is frequently knitted (alternating) into every second row.
Appearance
The term denier* does not refer to the thickness of the yarn in this case, but instead to the appearance of the tights.
Artificial silk
Original term for continuous viscose filament yarn.
B
Bare Lycra®
Lycra®* is used as made by INVISTA* (formerly DuPont), without any enwinding.
Bi-colour
Bicoloured or bicoloured pattern.
Bi-elastic
Elastic in two directions.
Bicomponent yarn
A yarn where two different basic materials with differing shrinkage characteristics are joined into a single filament*.
Bouclé
Effect yarns with loops or ringlets.
C
Cantrece
Brand name of INVISTA* (formerly DuPont) Bicomponent yarn*.
Carton insert
Carton insert for products.
Chiné look
Bicoloured, blurry background.
Colour Swatch
Texture and colour swatch.
Control Top
Top tights with figure-shaping panty section.
Corespun yarn
“Wrapped core”. Cotton or wool are wrapped around elastane.
Cotton
Often used in combination with other materials (e.g. Opaque Naturel*).
Crimped yarn
(Bulked yarns) achieved with mechanical treatment and heat, crimped yarns made of synthetic filaments*.
D
Decitex
(Abbreviation: dtex) Metric measure for description purposes.
Denier
(Abbreviation: den) The thickness of a yarn. The thinner, the finer, e.g. 5 den = 9,000 m of a yarn weighs 5 grams.
Double wrapped Lycra®
Lycra®* wrapped inside and outside, mostly with smooth Nylon*, one wrap anticlockwise, one clockwise.
E
Elastane
is a general umbrella term for super elastic fibres that can be combined with all natural fibres and synthetic fibres.
F
Fibre
The basic material – be it natural or synthetic – from which textile yarns and fabrics are produced.
Fibril
A tiny threadlike element of a continuous synthetic fibre.
Filament
A single fibre in continuous synthetic fibres.
Finish
Describes all processes that tights go through once knitted, in order to obtain their colour, texture and shape.
Footsies
Hosiery article not visible in a closed shoe, protecting the foot (Pas de deux).
Forming
A stocking is pulled over a leg form and given its leg shape by the application of heat.
I
INVISTA (formerly DuPont)
Producer of synthetic fibres (important brand names: Lycra®*, Tactel® *,Cantrece®*).
K
Knee-High
Knee-high stocking.
Knitted trim
Trim is knitted to tights (e.g. Individual).
L
Logic
Support function is not achieved with a knitted waistband or sewn-on waistband, but with a 10 cm long support zone in the upper panty section. This means no pressure on tummy and waist.
Lycra®
Brand name for elastane* from INVISTA* (formerly DuPont), super
Lycra® 3D
Lycra® is knitted into every stitch and every row. This creates a superbly even look, maximum elasticity and extraordinary fit, e.g. “Individual”. Developed in 1991. Tights produced in this way and that meet prescribed standards have been certified by INVISTA (formerly DuPont) since 1994 and designated Lycra® 3D.
M
Merino yarn
Material made of the fine wool of Merino sheep.
Microfilament, microfibre
Consists of very many fine single filaments or single fibres (1.0 – 0.3 dtex).
Micromesh
Durable knitting design where stitches only run upwards. Because it looks a little coarse and has a pattern similar to honeycomb it is rarely used for the leg but rather generally for reinforcing the panty section (panty section Absolute Support with Control Top).
Mono-elastic
Elastic only in one direction.
O
Opaque
Non see-through
Opaque Naturel
Product made of cotton (inside) and polyamide* (outside), created using a special Wolford knitting technique (plating).
P
Perlon
Brand name for polyamide*.
Piqué look
Waffle look.
Plating
Knitting two threads in parallel, such as glazed yarn and cotton, so that the glazed yarn appears on the outside and the cotton on the inside.
Polyamide
Synthetic fibre: main component in the material composition of tights.
Polyester
Synthetic fibre.
Polypropylene
Synthetic fibre: used for products with bi-colour effect*.
Push-up effect
Forming and supporting effect on certain parts of the body (Push-up Synergy).
R
Raschel fabrics
produced on special tricot fabric machines
Reciprocated heel
Knitted heel on tights (as opposed to formed heel).
Reinforced
Particularly stressed segments such as toe section, heel or panty section become more hard-wearing with added knitted-in Nylon.
Round luminous
The cross section of Nylon yarn* filaments* is round.
S
Satin Opaque
Tights with luxuriously iridescent, opaque material.
Satin Sheer with Lycra®
Protected trademark of INVISTA* (formerly DuPont) for legwear with wrapped Lycra® in every second row.
Sheers
Group of transparent legwear items.
Silicone
Stay-up* lace ribbons or smooth ribbons are coated on back with silicone, providing superior adhesion on leg.
softITELLIGENCE®
Unique Wolford clothing concept. All products can be mixed and matched with each other, thus providing various styling options right round the clock and for any occasion.
Stay-up
Hold-up stocking with a (lace) ribbon coated on back with silicone*.
Stitch stop
Knitted-in symbol (in micromesh*). No ladders.
Support & Forming
Supporting and forming.
T
Tactel®
Registered trademark of INVISTA (formerly DuPont) for a family of garment fibres based on polyamide.
Textured yarn
Crimple yarn or bulked yarn.
Texturing
Thermo-mechanical altering of smooth filaments with the aim of increasing total volume and elasticity.
Trilobal fibre
Cross section of Nylon yarn* filaments composed of three semi-circles.
U
Unhooped look
The same yarn is used in every row (as opposed to: alternating*), e.g. Individual
V
Velvet de Luxe
Super soft polyamide yarn, specially produced for Wolford.
Viscose
Synthetic fibre made of a natural basic material (cellulose).
W
Washbag
Wash bag for legwear and bodywear
Wool Cotton
Cotton on skin and finest wool on outside, made possible through a special knitting technique developed by Wolford (plating).
Wool seal/wool mark
Protected quality label for new wool with certain quality features.
Wrapped Lycra®
Lycra®* wrapped with polyamide*, material used most in the hosiery industry.